was the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

of a

nihonga ''Nihonga'' () is a Japanese style of painting that typically uses mineral pigments, and occasionally ink, together with other organic pigments on silk or paper. The term was coined during the Meiji period (1868–1912) to differentiate it from ...

painter in

Meiji Meiji, the romanization of the Japanese characters 明治, may refer to: Japanese history * Emperor Meiji, Emperor of Japan between 1867 and 1912 ** Meiji era, the name given to that period in Japanese history *** Meiji Restoration, the revolution ...

through to the early

Shōwa period Shōwa most commonly refers to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa ** Shōwa era (昭和), the era of Hirohito from 1926 to 1989 * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufactu ...

Japan. His real name was Shimomura Seizaburō.

Biography

Kanzan was born in 1873 in

Wakayama city Wakayama City Hall is the capital city of Wakayama Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 351,391 in 157066 households and a population density of 1700 persons per km². The total area of the city is ...

Wakayama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Wakayama Prefecture has a population of 876,030 () and a geographic area of . Wakayama Prefecture borders Osaka Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture and Nara Prefecture to ...

into a family of hereditary

Noh is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. It is Japan's oldest major theater art that is still regularly performed today. Noh is often based on tales from traditional literature featuri ...

actors. Having moved to Tokyo at the age of eight, Kanzan studied under

Kanō Hōgai Kanō Hōgai (狩野芳崖, February 27, 1828 – October 5, 1888) was a Japanese painter of the Kanō school. Life The son of the local daimyō's chief painter, he was sent at the age of 18 to Edo to study painting formally. He stayed there fo ...

, and after Hōgai's death, under

Hashimoto Gahō was a Japanese painter, one of the last to paint in the style of the Kanō school. He is also considered the founder of ''Nihonga'' and was an educator who trained many ''Nihonga'' painters. Many of the painters recognized in later generations a ...

. He graduated first in his class at the ''Tōkyō Bijutsu Gakkō'' (the forerunner of the

Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music or is a school of art and music in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Kitasenju and Adachi, Tokyo. The university has trained artists in the fields of painting, sculpture, crafts, inter ...

), and became a teacher at the same institution in 1894. When Okakura Tenshin left government service to establish the

Japan Fine Arts Academy is the highest-ranking official artistic organization in Japan. It is established as an extraordinary organ of the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs (文化庁, Bunkacho) in the thirty-first article of the law establishing the Ministry of E ...

(''Nihon Bijutsuin''), Kanzan joined him, together with

Yokoyama Taikan was the art-name of a major figure in pre-World War II Japanese painting. He is notable for helping create the Japanese painting technique of ''Nihonga''. Early life Sakai Hidemaro (known as Yokoyama Taikan) was born in Mito city, Ibaraki P ...

and

Hishida Shunsō was the art-name, pseudonym of a Japanese painting, Japanese painter from the Meiji period. One of Okakura Kakuzō, Okakura Tenshin's pupils along with Yokoyama Taikan and Kanzan Shimomura, Shimomura Kanzan, he played a role in the Meiji era in ...

. However, Kanzan returned to his teaching post at the Tokyo Bijutsu Gakkō from 1901–1908, with a hiatus from 1903–1905, when he went to study in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. From 1914, he helped reestablish the Japan Fine Arts Academy, and in 1917 was appointed a

court painter A court painter was an artist who painted for the members of a royal or princely family, sometimes on a fixed salary and on an exclusive basis where the artist was not supposed to undertake other work. Painters were the most common, but the cour ...

to the

Imperial Household Agency The (IHA) is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family, and the keeping of the Privy Seal of Japan, Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. From around the 8th century ...

. He served as a judge for both the ''

Bunten The is a Japanese art exhibition established in 1907. The exhibition consists of five art faculties: Japanese Style and Western Style Painting, Sculpture, Craft as Art, and Sho (calligraphy). During each exhibition, works of the great masters ar ...

'' and the ''Inten'' Exhibitions. In terms of style, Kanzan was influenced by the '' Rinpa'' and the '' Kanō'' schools, as well as early

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

paintings and

Tosa school of Japanese painting was founded in the early Muromachi period (14th–15th centuries),,p.988 and was devoted to '' yamato-e'', paintings specializing in subject matter and techniques derived from ancient Japanese art, as opposed to schools influe ...

Emakimono Illustrated handscrolls, , or is an illustrated horizontal narration system of painted handscrolls that dates back to Nara-period (710–794 CE) Japan. Initially copying their much older Chinese counterparts in style, during the succeeding H ...

.'' To these elements, he combined the realism developed from his exposure to western art works during his stay in England. One of his representative works is a ''

byōbu are Japanese folding screens made from several joined panels, bearing decorative painting and calligraphy, used to separate interiors and enclose private spaces, among other uses. History are originated in Han dynasty China and are tho ...

'' titled ''Yoroboshi'' or "The Beggar Monk" was created in 1915 in colored ink and

gold leaf upA gold nugget of 5 mm (0.2 in) in diameter (bottom) can be expanded through hammering into a gold foil of about 0.5 m2 (5.4 sq ft). The Japan.html" ;"title="Toi gold mine museum, Japan">Toi gold mine museum, Japan. Gold leaf is gold that has ...

on paper. It is currently housed in the

Tokyo National Museum The or TNM is an art museum in Ueno Park in the Taitō wards of Tokyo, ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the four museums operated by the , is considered the oldest national museum and the largest art museum in Japan. The museum collects, prese ...

, and is registered as an Important Cultural Property by the

Agency for Cultural Affairs The is a special body of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). It was set up in 1968 to promote Japanese arts and culture. The agency's budget for FY 2018 rose to ¥107.7 billion. Overview The age ...

. The screen depicts a scene from a famous Noh play of the same name. In the scene, blind monk, has been falsely accused of a crime. Disowned by his family he wanders about, living as a vagrant. Although he is now blind, he has become one with the universe and can see all that surrounds him. Kanzan borrowed heavily from

Momoyama period Momoyama may refer to: History *Azuchi–Momoyama period, the final phase of the Sengoku period in Japanese history 1568–1600 People * Ion Momoyama, Japanese singer and voice actor * Momoyama Kenichi (1909–1991), Korean prince and cavalry offi ...

and

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

style and composition, and the work shows a strong ''Rimpa'' influence.

Notable works

Yoroboshi by Shimomura Kanzan (Tokyo National Museum).jpg, Left panel of the ''Yorobōshi'' (Scene from

play, 弱法師), 1915,

, Important Cultural Property. Yoroboshi by Shimomura Kazan.jpg, Right panel of the ''Yorobōshi'' (Scene from Noh play, 弱法師), 1915, Tokyo National Museum, Important Cultural Property. Shimomura Kanzan - Ogurayama.jpg, ''Mount Ogura'' (小倉山), 1909,

Yokohama Museum of Art , founded in 1989, is located in the futurism, futuristic Minato Mirai 21 district of the Japanese city Yokohama, next to the Yokohama Landmark Tower. The collections The museum has works by many influential and well-known modern artists includin ...

. Image:Shimomura Kanzan - Autumn among Trees.jpg, ''Autumn among Trees'' (木の間の秋), 1907,

National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo The , also known as MOMAT, is the foremost museum collecting and exhibiting modern Japanese art. The museum, in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, is known for its collection of 20th-century art and includes Western-style and ''Nihonga'' artists. It has a bra ...

. *''Empress Kōmyō'' (光明皇后, 1897,

) *''Illustrated Scroll of the Asura Realm'' (修羅道, 1900,

) *鵜鴎図 (1901, Museum of Modern Art,

Shiga is a landlocked prefecture of Japan in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,398,972 as of 1 February 2025 and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to t ...

) *''Diogenes'' (ダイオゼニス , 1903, Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art) *''Autumn among Trees'' (木の間の秋, 1907, Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art) *''Emperor’s Visit to Kenreimon-in, from the Tale of Heike'' (大原御幸, 1908, Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art) *''Mount Ogura'' (小倉山, 1909, Yokohama Museum of Art) *''Cormorant''　(鵜図屏風, 1912, Tokyo National Museum) *''White Fox'' (白狐, 1914, Tokyo National Museum) *''Scene from Noh Play, Yoroboshi'' (弱法師, 1915, Tokyo National Museum, Important Cultural Property) *''Spring Rain'' (春雨, 1916, Tokyo National Museum) *''The Warrior Kusunoki Masashige'' (楠公, 1921, Tokyo National Museum) *''Album of Felicitous Clouds and Other Sketches of Life'' (景雲餘彩, 1922, Imperial Household Agency)

External links

*
SHIMOMURA KANZAN, PAINTING OF A MOTH

Shimomura, Kanzan / WorldCat
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shimomura, Kanzan 1873 births 1930 deaths Court painters Nihonga painters Buddhist artists People from Wakayama (city) Tokyo School of Fine Arts alumni 20th-century Japanese painters Imperial household artists Artists from Wakayama Prefecture